First Ride

Adrenaline Junkie

Adrenaline Junkie

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After 2 weeks of ownership the snow and ice has finally melted off the streets so I grabbed my snow shovel and mattock and dug my new steed out of its stall and took it for its first ride. (I don't count going from the trailer to the covered deck when I brought it home a ride) Four blocks of city streets, weaving back and forth to scuff in the tires a little bit, and then onto my favorite local twistie road. Feeling out a brand new bike with new tires on a road that still has a lot of sand and salt on it along with water running across it that is coming out from under snow piles at the edge of the road is not exactly brilliant, but I had to ride, albeit cautiously (OK, I was going slow, especially in the turns.) It took me a few miles to figure out where the power starts to happen which is about 2000RPM later than it happened on my old Buell, but after I found it I was happy. I will have to recalibrate my ear for the new RPM range. Riding conditions were far to poor to start evaluating the suspension settings but I know it is soft right now and that is fine with the number a freeze cracks and potholes in the asphault. Eight miles in the first twistie road ends and the next one begins. It is only 44 degrees F here and I had noticed myself shiver a couple of times so I forced myself to turn around and head back. A little more agressive on the way back but still plenty slow getting into and through the turns though I did start rolling on the throttle pretty good coming out of them if the surface looked reasonably clean.

I need to learn my new power curve and the bars have to come up and back for my old arthritic neck, but I am very pleased. I'd like to be screaming that this was the most amazing machine I have ever ridden, but road conditions just didn't allow for that kind of an evaluation and I've ridden some pretty amazing machines in the past. I can say that staying below 6000 RPM for the first 500 miles shouldn't be a problem.:) For now, it appears to be as sure footed as my old Buell and soundly thrashes the Sportster I was on for the last year. It is actually very similar to my Buell (my personal bechmark) with the exception of a little more wheelbase and rake and a lot more engine. As time goes forward I'm sure I will find that my new steed is not as nimble in tight switchbacks as my old Buell do to the length but the extra 50 HP should prove very exciting! Tires, suspension setting and riding technique can all be adjusted to improve the nimbleness if it even becomes and issue. The wife only went for one 5 mile ride on the Buell and hated it although we have logged a lot of miles together on other bikes. She hasn't gone for a ride on the FZ1 yet but at least she finds it comfortable setting on the center stand with me making Vroom Vroom noises.

So far, I'm Happy!

Roy
 
Congratulations on the bike and your first ride. I know what you mean about the roads. The weather here today was was similar to yours, but I resisted the temptation to take the bike out. Oh and the fact that the foot pegs are off the bike helped in making that decision :doh2: They are going to be getting powdercoated black to match the rest of the bike very soon...

Take a look at SW-Motech handlebar risers. I think they will offer what you're looking for. See picture below for what they look like. Not my bike so I don't have any experience with them...
 
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Congrats on the first ride. It only gets better!

Hey Tony, I know what you mean. I was really tempted today too. But I resisted as well.
 
Those risers are exactly what I was planning to order. In fact, I just tried to call Twisted Throttle to order a set but they are closed. Need to do some browsing to see if anyone else carries them and has an operator on duty today. Also need to get a set of mounts ordered so I can put my Ventura Sport Rack on the back. I've become addicted to it AND it doubles as a butt stop for my wife.

Roy
 
Glad to hear that you were able to get some riding in Roy. I know you guys were getting hammered by all this snow. Hopefully you won't have to dig yourself out anymore this year. We, on the other hand, are looking at another 2" to 5" again on Tuesday!:rant:
 
Yeah, your buell might turn easier than ours, if it was own with like the 50 inch wheelbase. When ready, you have to hang off a little to turn the FZ with some speed.

With a little hawt stuff, I'm kinda all over the FZ. Ya get use to it. There's some stuff you can do to turn it.

Don't worry about that now. Gotta figure out it's personality first. You will.
 
Glad to hear you had a chance to take it out. I think there is nothing worse than having a new bike sitting ing the garage. Begging to be riden. But you can't. It's murder I tell you.
 
Sorry about the snow guys. I moved out here from Brooklyn when I was four. I live here in good old southern California. It sprinkled here today so I carpooled with a buddy who normally rides his GSX-R 750 to work. Hey, we didn't want to get our bikes dirty! We'll ride tomorrow, it's suppose to be 69 degrees and sunny. :)
 
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My wife got me a set of Bar Back Risers for Christmas this year. Still stuck in the snow of Ohio and no heat in the garage, so they haven't been installed yet. I am impatiently awaiting Spring's arrival! And if it ever does finally get here I will post pics once the risers are installed! I have plans for a bike trip in late May which should encompass several thousand miles of riding, so I will have an opportunity to thoroughly test them out.
 
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riser backs

I just put a set of the risers from twisted on last week. I really like em. Very comfortable with the same performance. Kinda like a dirt bike. Cables will be tight but work, I had to move the brake towards the center about an inch. I put a cruise control on so that filled the gap. Put that on so I can give the throttle hand a rest as needed.

Today I am putting on the adjustable pegs. I will let you know.
 
Oh Man, do I 'SO' know what you mean. I had the 98 Buell Cyclone. These were early pics. but I had extensivly modified it, with Thunderstorm heads, Andrews cams, S&S carb and cleaner, V&H race can, later aluminum swingarm and complete rebuild of engine and trans, I'm talking every bearing and gear that even looked unfriendly. Needless to say I was pumping about 105 hp, mabe 108-10 max, but it was a violent brute motor. So, just as a bit of background for refference, I explained the Buell in comparison to the FZ1. Mine happens to be an 05 Blue, with only a 'Can' and minor little stuff, insignifficant and not related to power. The first quandry with the FZ was what tires to run....? Mind you this is all in relation to you and I being framiliar with buells, but as I said the tires that once glued us to the road didn't seem to have the same VooDu to them, everything on the FZ seemed slippery in comparison. I'll have to recant, and say I'v been running the Michelin Pilot Power IIct's, and well I'm not .....'yet'..... impressed. I'm looking for the grip the Buell once had with the Bridgestone BT 14's or Dunlop Qualifiers or even Avons. But it will be a bit of experimenting and a bunch of cash and 'spare' tires to finally use up. The FZ1 is a luxury liner, an oil tanker, a 2,000 car freight train, one long bohemuth of a bike. The forks are at 'chopper' rake angles, it will never 'feel' like it's under control. I'v set my rear as high as the ramp will take it, to the last setting, the front tubes I have lowered about 3/8 to a quarter of an inch, in an attempt to get some kind of feel. Then too, the bars feel all wrong, I dont exactly know what to do with that just yet, but it's of major importance, and I suspect I'll have bars to keep the spare tires company. As for power.......bwahahaha ha ha. This frigin thing screams, 8,500 is the magic number and I suspect if I re-tuned it, it would scare me. I'v already gotten thumped in the chest....hard.... on an unexpected acceleration wheelie, that puppie did a Mike Tyson on me, I slowed of course and became sane again, it was back in my neighborhood, no fooling and screaming there if I wanted peace. So what I'm saying is, I completly feel your confusion and I can tell you it will take a bit of time to transition from the Buells to the FZ's. I think our main task will be setting up the suspention and trying to do something with the front forks, ie. lowering the tubes or else I suspect it will never feel 'there'. The alternative is to re-learn a completely new animal.
 
^^^

ha, 'freight train.' With a rocket locomotive.

The regular power tires work very well on our bike. You'll feel the road, but it still feels like running on sticky tiger pads (don't know how else to describe it, but that's the visual I have when running the twisties).

Down side of powers is that on rough rural roads, I get like 2500 miles on a set, maybe less if I keep loading the front too much, as in geek conditions running after bad weather (looking for road gravel, etc.).

Good news is that powers have gone down in price since Mich came out with the new tires.
 
I had the Lightning Long (XB12Ss). You know, the longer more raked out version that still made the FZ1 look like a chopper. I thought the Dunlops that came on it were awful but but I switched to Pirellis and fell in love. I had the K&N filter, Air box eliminater, Race ECU, D&D pipe and a set of 4-wheeler handle bars. The bars had it setting like a Hyper-Motard and I rode it like one. I'm confident I can make the FZ1 handle well enough for me. Its already so much better than the 883 Iron I traded in to get it. Tires, bars and suspension can all be changed. Can't exactly cut the frame, pull the forkes in and weld it back together but, up in the back, down in the front, adjust riding style, find the right tires....I'm not campaigning it in a race series, just burning up West Virginia back roads, I'll make it what I want for that. If I have to relegate it to two lane roads, thats fine. I plan to Supermoto the DR 650 for the one lane roads next year anyway.

I thought 4000 RPM was pretty sweet. Can't wait to get through the break-in and find out what happens at 8500 RPM.

Roy
 
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